Marilyn Cahatol

Article (news)

Victoria Tulad

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA<strong> (UPDATED) </strong>— Filipino adventurer and fishing magnate Tomas Cloma did not discover the Spratly Islands, Senator Rodante Marcoleta said, countering a statement previously made by Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.</p><p>During Tuesday’s hearing of the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, Peace, Unification and Reconciliation, Marcoleta argued that Lacson made an “erroneous” statement during the February 4 Commission on Appointments (CA) meeting, where the ad interim appointments of 35 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) were considered.</p><p>“Sinabi niya Tomas Cloma is the one who discovered Spratly Islands and as the discoverer, he owns it. So dinonate niya sa Pilipinas and this was formalized by President Marcos Senior. As a matter of fact, sabi niya, this was also formalized by the arbitral ruling. He was referring to the 2012 arbitration in the South China Sea arbitration,” Marcoleta recalled. </p><p>He countered Lacson&#x27;s statement in the February 4 meeting.</p><p>“Pag-aari po natin yung occupied territories natin not because they were discovered or donated by Tomas Cloma. Pag-aari natin simply because nandun ang mga tao natin and we have effective control under public international law. Kung sino ang mayroong effective control, siya yung may-ari. That’s the status now. So huwag nating isasangkot si Tomas Cloma sa mga bagay na hindi tama para sa kanya. Yun lang po ang iko-correct natin,” Marcoleta said.</p><p>“Let us cleanse the part of that course na pinalalabas na discoverer siya at dinonate niya at finormalize ni President Marcos in his Presidential Decree. That was all wrong. That is historical distortion,” he added. “It should not be distorted. Tomas Cloma is a seafarer, he is not a discoverer.”</p><p>Marcoleta was talking to Brigadier General Alexander Gigantone, Deputy Commander of the AFP Education and Training Command, whom he asked if the matter about Tomas Coloma was taught in their course.</p><p>According to Gigantone, he is not aware of this and will check with the course director.</p><p>“We only have modules not including the history,” Gigantone said. “Probably in the old CGSC (Command and General Staff Course) classes in the 80s or 90s, your honor, there’s a part of history. But I can only surmise on that.”</p><p>Marcoleta asked, “So yung pinagsasabi ni Senator Ping are all distortions?&quot;</p><p>“I have to find out, your honor,” Gigantone replied.</p><p>“I am relieved na hindi pala part ng Command and General Staff Course, which was erroneously cited by Senator Ping in our discussion at the last CA hearing,” Marcoleta remarked.</p><p>Committee Chairperson Senator Loren Lagarda said she was able to interview Cloma about the Spratlys when she was still a journalist.</p><p>“It may not be in the classes, but it’s a historical fact,” she said.</p><p>Asked for his comment, Lacson sent information based on the website of the municipality of Kalayaan-Palawan. The Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) is part of the Spratlys.</p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/7/lacson-giving-up-kalayaan-islands-like-surrendering-entire-country-1625">Lacson: &#x27;Giving up Kalayaan islands like surrendering entire country&#x27;</a></div><p>“On May 15, 1956, Tomas Cloma issued a ‘Notice to the Whole World’ asserting ownership over 33 features in the Spratlys,” Lacson said.</p><p>“Independence Claim: On July 6, 1956, he established a separate government for the ‘Free Territory of Freedomland,’ with its capital on Flat Island (Patag Island).”</p><p>“Philippine Annexation: In the early 1970s, Cloma&#x27;s ‘territory’ was annexed by the Philippines. In 1974, he ‘sold’ his rights to the Philippine government for ₱1.00. This paved the way for President Ferdinand E Marcos to officially establish the Municipality of Kalayaan under Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978,” Lacson added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>&#x27;MERON PA RIN HINDI MAKA-MOVE ON&#x27;</strong></div><p>Asked for his comment, Lacson said he will let &quot;the facts do the talking&quot; as he debunked Marcoleta&#x27;s claims.</p><p>Lacson cited information from the official website of Kalayaan municipality in Palawan showing Cloma indeed discovered the then previously uninhabited islands, now known as the Kalayaan Islands. </p><p>The Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) is part of the Spratlys.</p><p>&quot;Merong hindi pa rin maka move on kay Tomas Cloma. So, eto ang historical facts para matahimik sa rin sa himlayan niya si Tomas Cloma,&quot; he said.</p><p>He stressed Cloma took &quot;formal possession&quot; of the Kalayaan Islands on May 15, 1956 when he issued a &quot;Notice to the Whole World&quot; asserting ownership over 33 features in the Spratlys.</p><p>“On May 15, 1956, Tomas Cloma issued a ‘Notice to the Whole World’ asserting ownership over 33 features in the Spratlys,” Lacson said.</p><p>“Independence Claim: On July 6, 1956, he established a separate government for the ‘Free Territory of Freedomland,’ with its capital on Flat Island (Patag Island).”</p><p>“Philippine Annexation: In the early 1970s, Cloma&#x27;s ‘territory’ was annexed by the Philippines. In 1974, he ‘sold’ his rights to the Philippine government for ₱1.00. This paved the way for President Ferdinand E Marcos to officially establish the Municipality of Kalayaan under Presidential Decree No. 1596 in 1978,” Lacson added.</p><p>Lacson explained that Cloma&#x27;s actions were heavily opposed by Taiwan (which occupied Itu Aba) and China, but his claims gave a basis on Philippines&#x27; subsequent claim to the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>KIG </strong></div><div><br/></div><p>In the same hearing, Marcoleta reiterated that he did not say that the KIG should be removed from Philippine territory.</p><p>“Ako kailanman hindi ko sinabi I’m trying to remove the KIG from the territory of this country. Not even a suggestion,” he said.</p><p>He said he was only pointing out the difficulty of plotting the West Philippine Sea because of several obstacles during the same CA meeting on February 4.</p><p>“Nagbiro lang ako, it was a hypothetical statement when I said, well you want to give up the KIG para ma-encircle mo, but that was highly hypothetical, it was not even a suggestion,” Marcoleta stressed.</p><p>“I’m not trying to isolate anything from our territory. Di ba sinasabi natin we cannot give up an inch of our territory,” he said.</p><p>It can be recalled that on February 4, Marcoleta said the KIG is not part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.</p><p>“We will offer our lives, including the lives of our children and to die for it, for something that is not even within our EEZ. Ang gawin natin po para madali, i-give up natin yung KIG. Then, maco-coordinate na natin lahat. But until and unless nandoon yung KIG, wala nga po sa, nasa labas po ng ating exclusive economic zone, papaano po malalagay sa entire West Philippine Sea?” he said that day. </p><div><a class="fr-green fr-strong" href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2026/2/23/talks-underway-to-build-catholic-church-in-pag-asa-island-says-pcg-1504">Talks underway to build Catholic church in Pag-asa Island, says PCG</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><strong><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rfuh-bIPd7k?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></strong><br/></div>

<p>Filipino adventurer and fishing magnate Tomas Cloma did not discover the Spratly Islands, Senator Rodante Marcoleta said, countering Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson's previous statement.</p>

Filipino adventurer and fishing magnate Tomas Cloma did not discover the Spratly Islands, Senator Rodante Marcoleta said, countering Senate President Pro Tempore Panfilo “Ping” Lacson's previous statement.

Marcoleta: Spratlys not discovered by Tomas Cloma

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Marcoleta: Spratlys not discovered by Tomas Cloma

Victoria Tulad,

ABS-CBN News

Published February 24, 2026 03:08 PM PHT

|

Updated February 24, 2026 05:29 PM PHT

Read More:

tomas cloma

spratly island

kalayaan

KIG

rodante marcoleta

ping lacson

loren legarda

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